Apr 27, 2018 BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics knew they would be playing at TD Garden Saturday night, either against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the first round or the Philadelphia 76ers in the opener of Round 2.Well, the Bucks maintained the home-court advantage that has held up throughout this series and defeated the Celtics in Milwaukee Thursday night, setting up Game 7 in Boston Saturday."We work hard all season to put ourselves in a position for home court, so we have a great opportunity on Saturday," Al Horford said after the Bucks pulled out a 97-86 win Thursday night that kept the Bucks' season alive."Game 7 at TD Garden is what you play for," said Boston coach Brad Stevens, whose team won a seventh game against the Washington Wizards in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.The Bucks, the seventh seed trying to upset No. 2, have lost eight straight series since winning two in 2001 and are 0-17 all-time when trailing a series 0-2. The Celtics are 35-0 when leading a series 2-0 and, of course, have all those banners hanging in the rafters.Giannis Antetokounmpo, slowed by the Celtics in Game 5, scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Thursday's win that kept Milwaukee's hopes of playing more games at the Bradley Center before the team moves to a new building next door."We're a team that has shown a lot of resiliency all year," interim coach Joe Prunty said. "We've had a game this year, twice, where we've been down 20 and found a way to come back and win both times. We continue to battle. We fight." The Bucks have won three of the last four games to stay in this series. They did split a pair of regular season games in Boston before going 0-3 there in the playoffs.Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 26.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in the series, blamed himself for the Game 5 loss in Boston and felt the need to take over in Game 6. He wasn't a one-man wrecking crew but seemed to score every time it was needed."I thought he played great," said Prunty. "I don't think he forced anything. I think he took opportunities that were there for him. He knows the spots to get to, but we also have to give him spacing around him to make sure we are in the right spots so that he has room to operate. ... Overall, Giannis played an outstanding game. One of his best plays was the offensive rebound where he pretty much just jumped up, put his arms up, made a play that very few people in this league can make." Said teammate Thon Maker: "He showed that (takeover ability) tonight. He proved to himself he's comfortable where he's at. He's humble, he knows what he's capable of. He said it this morning that he's going to take shots he's comfortable with, not shots he don't work on." Boston's Marcus Morris, who took a knee to the thigh in Game 6, was asked if he thought the injury was serious. "Even if it was, you'd have to cut my leg off for me not to play (Saturday)," he said.

Apr 28, 2018 BOSTON Al Horford and Terry Rozier scored 26 points apiece, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo tipped in a basket for the Celtics on Saturday night to help Boston beat Milwaukee 112-96 in Game 7 of their first-round series and eliminate the Bucks and the Greek Freak from the playoffs.Horford had eight rebounds, Rozier had nine assists and Jayson Tatum added 20 points for the Celtics, who rode the home-court advantage to win all four games in Boston and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year.They will meet the Philadelphia 76ers, with Game 1 in Boston on Monday night.Khris Middleton scored 32, Eric Bledsoe had 23 and Antetokounmpo had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks. Milwaukee has advanced from the first round of the playoffs just once since 1989, losing nine straight playoff series since Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell brought George Karl to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.Playing in their NBA-record 31st Game 7, the Celtics improved to 20-4 at home and 23-8 overall in best-of-seven clinchers. It was the second Game 7 at the TD Garden this week, with the Boston Bruins beating the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night to advance in the NHL playoffs.Tatum had nine points in the first, when the Celtics scored 15 straight points - including a tip-in by Antetokounmpo into the Boston hoop - and 20 of the last 22 to end the quarter with a 30-17 lead. Milwaukee scored 11 in a row at the beginning of the second to make it a two-point game, but Boston answered with nine in a row to make it 41-30.The Celtics led 50-42 at the half despite going 1-for-12 from 3-point range. Horford had 14 points and seven rebounds at the break, and Bledsoe had 12 points for the Bucks.Milwaukee cut the deficit to three points early in the third but Boston scored 11 of the last 15 points in the quarter.HAMMY TIMEJaylen Brown limped off to the locker room late in the second quarter, then came out to test his sore right hamstring just before the start of the second half. But he left the floor and went back into the tunnel; after riding the stationary bike for a few minutes and getting checked out in the locker room, the team said he was available to return, but he did not.BLEDSOE AND BLEDSOEBledsoe has been unpopular in Boston this series because of a trash-talking back-and-forth with Celtics point guard Terry Rozier. Rozier mistakenly referred to him as ''Drew Bledsoe'' - confusing him with the former New England Patriots quarterback - early in the series.Since then, Bledsoe has pretended he doesn't know who Rozier is. Celtics fans joined in by chanting ''Who is Bledsoe!'' in the first half. And during a fourth-quarter break, the scoreboard showed a video of Drew Bledsoe holding up one of his Patriots jerseys and proclaiming himself ''the original Bledsoe.'' TIP-INSBucks: Have an 0-18 record in playoff series in which they've lost the first two games. They are 2-8 in Game 7s. ... Bledsoe picked up a technical foul in the first quarter after complaining about a foul call. ... C John Henson missed his fifth straight game with a sore back.Celtics: Injured players Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Daniel Theis were all at the game. Theis, who has been out since March 11, recovered enough from left knee surgery to ditch his crutches for the first time on Friday. ... Also in the crowd: Red Sox owner John Henry and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. ... Red Sox manager Alex Cora and a bunch of players also filed into a pair of luxury suites after their game ended. ... Boston was 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the third. ... Rozier's 26 points were a career playoff high.---More basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Apr 27, 2018 OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors hope to have Stephen Curry back in the lineup Saturday night when the defending NBA champions open their Western Conference semifinal playoff series against the surprising New Orleans Pelicans.The former two-time Most Valuable Player practiced with his teammates Thursday and Friday but noted afterward a final decision on whether he plays for the first time since March 23 rests in the hands of Golden State's medical staff after the Game 1 warmups."I'm getting there for sure," Curry claimed Friday. "I've done a lot in the last two weeks, especially with my feet, getting back to movements that I may do in a game. My knee feels pretty good. I don't have any pain." Curry, who suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee in a collision with teammate JaVale McGee in a game against Atlanta, missed the most recent game against the Pelicans on April 3.New Orleans won that game 126-120 to salvage one win in the four-game season series.That win was one of just two the Pelicans have managed against the Warriors in their last 28 meetings, including Golden State's first-round sweep in 2015 en route to their first of two titles in the last three seasons.What the Warriors saw earlier this month, however, was impressive, as the new-look Pelicans, without injured center DeMarcus Cousins but with newcomer Nikola Mirotic, were firing on all cylinders on Golden State's home court.Mirotic hit six 3-pointers on a 28-point night, Jrue Holiday chipped in with 25 points, and both Anthony Davis (34 points, 12 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (12 points, 17 assists) posted double-doubles in the offensive explosion.The sixth-seeded Pelicans stunned Portland with similar balance in the first round, with Davis (33.0 points, 12.0 rebounds) and Rondo (11.3 points, 13.3 assists) both averaging double-doubles, and Holiday (27.8 points) and Mirotic (18.3) combined for 46.1 points.But that was against the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers. Now the Pelicans are up against a team that has lost a total of just two games in its last five playoff series."We know what we're capable of doing," noted Pelicans backup Ian Clark, who played a key role off the bench in the Warriors' championship run last season. "We like the underdog role. We know we're going against (the Warriors), but why not us? Why not be able to take down the defending champions and keep moving and keep this sentimental story going?"For the second series in a row, the Warriors' Steve Kerr will be up against one of his best friends in the coaching fraternity.There were few laughs when he got the better of Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the first round, with Kerr's former coach having missed the last three games of the series after the death of his wife, Erin.Kerr clearly is looking forward to starting fresh against the Pelicans' Alvin Gentry, who was Kerr's offensive coordinator during the 2015 championship run."He'll try to throw me for a loop. I'll try to throw him for a loop," Kerr said. "Some things will work. Some things won't work. But we can laugh and joke about how we're the masterminds behind the success of our teams."

Apr 29, 2018 OAKLAND, Calif. Kevin Durant had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Draymond Green dazzled all over the floor with his fourth career postseason triple-double, and the Golden State Warriors thoroughly overmatched the New Orleans Pelicans for a 123-101 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals Saturday night.Green finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and two blocks and just with his hustle and energy helped the defending champions pull away with a superb, decisive second quarter.Now, they likely get Stephen Curry back for Game 2 on Tuesday night and all that he brings - even if in a limited role initially.Anthony Davis had 21points and 10 rebounds, scoring 10 in the first quarter before having a tougher time generating shots the rest of the way to finish 9 for 20. Jrue Holiday was held to 4-for-14 shooting and 11 points.Golden State again played without two-time MVP Curry, who has been sidelined since March 23 with a sprained left knee. Coach Steve Kerr called it ''very likely'' Curry would play Game 2 in the best-of-seven series.Klay Thompson, who led Golden State with 27 points, hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first half that made it 76-48. But New Orleans ended the second on a 7-0 run and Darius Miller's 73-foot heave at the halftime buzzer counted after review, getting the Pelicans within 76-55 at the break. They hit another buzzer-beater to end the third but it was way too late.Rajon Rondo had nine points and dished out 11 assists for New Orleans.But once Golden State got going in transition, Oracle Arena started rocking and the Pelicans couldn't keep pace - with tempo being something the Warriors know is key this series. They opened the second with a 13-5 burst and were on their way.Davis, who averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in a first-round sweep of Portland, made 5 of 7 shots in the opening period.Green has been brilliant on the boards as Golden State keeps taking its defense up a level. He had games of 19 and 18 rebounds in the final two matchups of a five-game series with San Antonio in the first round.Nick Young started at forward for the Warriors while 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala remained in the starting lineup in place of Curry as Golden State won a franchise-record 13th straight postseason home game.The Warriors swept the Pelicans in the only other playoff meeting between the franchises in the 2015 first round as Golden State went on to capture its first championship in 40 years.HIGH-FLYING W'SGolden State had its highest scoring postseason first half as well as second quarter. The 76 points topped 73 against Phoenix on May 4, 1994, while 41 in the second bested 40 scored against Utah on May 11, 2007.Golden State shot 13 for 20 in the second, making four 3s and 11 of 14 free throws.PALSKerr and Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry shared a nice greeting and laugh before the series got going. As general manager in Phoenix, Kerr worked with Gentry and then made him the first call to be his top assistant when Kerr became head coach of the Warriors before the 2014-15 season.CURRY OUTAs usual, Curry insisted he ''feels great and he's ready to go,'' said Kerr, who is encouraged his superstar point guard feels so good.''Just made the decision based on giving him the extra few days and the fact he only scrimmaged yesterday,'' Kerr said. ''You've been out five weeks and we're playing in the playoffs, I don't think one scrimmage is enough, even though he feels great, he wants to play and pleaded his case. But we're going to sit him tonight and very likely he'll play Game 2.'' Curry returned to full practice with contact Thursday and only scrimmaged 5 on 5 for the first time Friday, and Kerr prefers that Curry get additional on-court time at full speed Sunday.TIP-INSPelicans: The Pelicans' 126-120 win April 7 in Oakland snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Warriors. ''We approach the game as if everybody's washed their hands of everything that has happened,'' Gentry said. ... Gentry received a technical at the 8:43 mark of the first quarter. ... The Pelicans shot 7 for 23 in the second. ... New Orleans surrendered 110 or more points in the last 11 regular-season games against Golden State.Warriors: Green topped Tom Gola's three playoff triple-doubles for most in franchise history. ... Young, who played 21 minutes, made a 3 on his first shot and another late in the game on his second attempt. ... Golden State has won 25 of the last 27 meetings overall vs. the Pelicans. ... Jay-Z and Beyonce sat courtside.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Reds aim to extend Twins' losing streak to nine games 11m agoĽ 2 min read Not even a visit from the lowly Cincinnati Reds could snap the Minnesota Twins out of their funk.Minnesota's losing streak reached eight games Friday night after the Twins blew a four-run lead and fell to Cincinnati, 15-9.They'll try to turn things around Saturday when Jake Odorizzi faces off against Sal Romano at Target Field, where thanks to weather issues, they've played all of five games this season.But home cooking hasn't helped, either, leaving the Twins searching for answers."You try to find something you can build on," manager Paul Molitor said. "You are back home. We have had five games in this building so far and have been out of Florida for over a month." Odorizzi got roughed up in his last start, a 14-1 loss to the Yankees. He was charged with five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three over 4 2/3 innings."Tonight's completely on me," Odorizzi said. "I put us behind the eight ball early on and didn't give us a chance to win. These guys deserve better in here, and I'm going to give them better in the future. This was just a crappy outing." He gave up two home runs in that outing and five over his last two starts. Acquired in a trade with Tampa during spring training, Odorizzi has gotten off to a slow start with the Twins, compiling a 4.50 ERA, 1.23 WHIP with 14 walks in 26 innings of work."The last couple games have been a little sketchy," Odorizzi said. "I take pride in usually stopping streaks like this. It's still April. There's a lot of time to right the ship for the team, for myself, for everybody." Odorizzi will have a tough task ahead of him, especially when it comes to Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who reached base six times and homered for a fourth straight contest in the Reds' victory Friday night.Votto got off to a slow start this season but is starting to return to his MVP-caliber form of late, reaching base in 12 straight games."We've seen this the last few years. He kind of was in that (down) area," Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said. "Then by the end of April, mid-May, he's again putting up historic numbers with walks and power. It's very encouraging." Romano is looking to build off an encouraging outing his last time out when he held the Braves to a run on four hits and a walk while striking out five over a season-high six innings of work."I had one inning where I threw a lot of pitches," he said after that outing. "Take that inning out of there, maybe I can go longer, but I was able to go out there for six solid innings and give the team a chance to win." The Twins and Reds have faced off 22 times since the advent of interleague play, with each team winning 11 times.

Twins snap 8-game skid, beat Reds 3-13m agoĽ 1 min read MINNEOLIS Jake Odorizzi pitched six strong innings, Mitch Garver homered and the Minnesota Twins snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.Odorizzi (2-2) gave up one run and five hits. Fernando Rodney worked around two walks while pitching a scoreless ninth for his third save in six chances.Scott Schebler homered for the Reds, and Devin Mesoraco had two hits. Joey Votto went 0 for 3 with a walk, stopping his homer streak at four games.Cincinnati right-hander Sal Romano (1-3) lasted 4 2/3 innings and was charged with three runs, two earned, and six hits.

White Sox, Twins set for doubleheader after playing extras 8h agoĽ 3 min read KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals played 11 innings on Friday night before the White Sox prevailed, 7-4.The two teams are scheduled to play 18 more innings Saturday in a day-night doubleheader.Right-hander Trevor Oaks will be the Royals 26th man and start the first game of the doubleheader. It will be Oaks' big-league debut."We liked a lot about him in spring training," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We liked the fact he had a tremendous sinker. With a lot of movement on that pitch to the point Cal (Eldred, pitching coach) said, 'you don't need to be working corners on this, but just attack down in the zone and let that great natural action take care of the result for you.'"He's gotten off to a good start down in Omaha. He's throwing the ball good from the reports we've got and from the scouts that have watched him and recommended him. I'm excited to see him pitch tomorrow." The White Sox will counter with rookie right-hander Carson Fulmer in the afternoon game. Fulmer is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in five games, four of them starts, this season. He has allowed 20 hits, walked 10 and hit two batters in 18 innings.Opponents are hitting .270 with three home runs off Fulmer. He has also struck out 15.Rookie left-hander Eric Skoglund will start the second game for the Royals. Skoglund is 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA in three starts this season.He will be facing the White Sox for the second time in his career. He faced them on Sept. 13, giving up two earned runs on five hits in a no-decision.In Skoglund's previous start, he got a no-decision in the Royals' 8-5 triumph over Detroit on Sunday. He was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.The White Sox have not announced on who will be their starter for the second game.The Royals have been unable to slow down White Sox third baseman Matt Davidson, who had seven home runs in 15 at-bats over four games this season at Kauffman Stadium. That sets a record for home runs by an opposing player in a season at The K."He's had tremendous at-bats," said Joe McEwing, who is the acting manager while Rich Renteria attends his mother's funeral "He's had tremendous at-bats the last couple of days. He's feeling pretty good at the plate. He's seeing the ball well. Hitting all different types of pitches to all fields. He's using the whole field. He hit a 3-1 slider opposite field. He's feeling pretty good right now." Davidson hit three home runs in the White Sox season opening victory at Kansas City. He has belted four home runs in the first two games of this five-game Kauffman Stadium series. His two-run homer in the 11th put the White Sox ahead to stay."At this level, I guess you don't really kind of expect that," Davidson said. "But, it happened, so I just want to keep it going. We've got a lot of ground to make up and we won the game. That's all that really matters." "I think that's the kind of hitter I am. That's my strengths, kind of the gaps and line drives. That's when I'm at my best. I'm not just a straight pull hitter, but when I'm using the middle of the field, the gaps, obviously, I'm at my best." Four of the White Sox victories this year have come at the Royals' expense.

Fulmer, Palka lead White Sox to 8-0 victory over Royals4m agoĽ 2 min read KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Carson Fulmer allowed four singles over seven innings and Daniel Palka had four hits and drove in three runs as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-0 in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.The White Sox are 5-0 against the Royals this season and 3-16 against other opponents. The Royals have been outscored 32-11 in their five-game losing streak and are a major league-worst 1-12 at home.Fulmer (2-1) left after 109 pitches, walked three and struck out three. In his past two starts, he has allowed seven hits and two runs over 13 innings.Palka, who was hitless in his first eight at-bats since debuting Wednesday, was a triple shy of a cycle. He hit a three-run homer in the seventh off Burch Smith.Palka, Tim Anderson and Leury Garcia, the White Sox 7-8-9 hitters, went a combined 8 for 13 and scored five runs.Yolmer Sanchez also drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning.Matt Davidson, who has seven home runs against the Royals this season, hit a double and two singles.Trevor Oaks (0-1), who was the Royals' 26th man, gave up five runs on 12 hits over five innings in his major league debut.The Royals loaded the bases in the first inning on walks to Salvador Perez and Jorge Soler sandwiched around a Lucas Duda single, but Jon Jay flied out to the right field warning track to end the threat.Soler has walked in eight straight games, matching the longest streak this season in the majors.BUCHHOLZ UPDATERoyals RHP Clay Buchholz allowed one earned run on four hits over five innings in a no-decision in a start for Triple-A Omaha at Colorado Springs. The 33-year-old right-hander who was a two-time American League All-Star selection with Boston is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three minor league starts. He signed a minor league contract in late March with the Royals with an out clause if not added to the big league roster by Tuesday.WHITE SOX ADD MINAYAReliever Juan Minaya was called up from Triple-A Charlotte to serve as the White Sox 26th man for the split doubleheader.TRAINER'S ROOMWhite Sox: LF Nicky Delmonico returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a stiff neck.Royals: RHP Nathan Karns remains on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation.UP NEXTThe Royals will start RHP Ian Kennedy in the series finale. Kennedy left his previous start after three innings with a bruised toe after taking a line drive off his foot. The White Sox have not yet announced their starter.

Cubs aim for third win in a row over Brewers 4h agoĽ 2 min read CHICAGO -- As the Chicago Cubs have spent the first month of the season toiling around .500, manager Joe Maddon has remained patient with a starting rotation that until now has struggled with consistency.But after back-to-back impressive outings from Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish in consecutive victories over the Milwaukee Brewers, Maddon hopes his starters will continue to find their footing.Jose Quintana will look to give the Cubs a third straight win over the Brewers, who entered this weekend's four-game series having won eight straight games. After Hendricks and Darvish were instrumental in two one-run wins -- including Friday's 3-2 victory in which Darvish struck out eight and allowed just one run in six innings -- Quintana hopes to keep the Cubs rolling in the right direction.Quintana (2-1, 7.78 ERA) has given up at least four earned runs in three of his four starts this season but is coming off a seven-strikeout effort last weekend in Colorado when he allowed four runs and scattered eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.But if he can follow the lead of Darvish, who turned things around in his fifth start of the year Friday against the Brewers, Quintana could be the latest Cubs starter to turn things around. Quintana has been strong against the Brewers in five career starts in which he has registered a 3-1 record with a remarkable 0.75 ERA.If he can continue his mastery of Milwaukee on Saturday, it might be a sign that Maddon's faith in his starters has been warranted."I think we push each other," Hendricks said. "When we see the other guys start to get into rhythm in that routine, it seems to bring us all together almost. We kind of all get on that same rhythm."Hopefully, we can carry this team for a while." Meanwhile, the Brewers will look to get back to their winning ways. While each of their eight straight wins before Thursday's 2-1 loss came against losing teams, the Brewers have now dropped four of five games to the Cubs this season.And while Chicago seems to have Milwaukee's number this season, the Brewers will continue to rely on the solid pitching that has served them well in getting them off to such a strong start.Junior Guerra (2-0, .056 ERA) has certainly done his part in the three starts he has made. He has allowed only one earned run and has struck out 15 while limiting opponents to 10 hits.Guerra hopes to keep rolling Saturday against the Cubs, against whom he is 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in six career appearances (three starts).So far in the series, Brewers pitchers have done their part but haven't gotten enough offensive support to add up to wins."We've pitched well," Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters Thursday, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "The numbers will tell you throughout the course of the season we've pitched well -- like we pitched well last year. I think it will continue."That's the foundation of this, that we pitch well and prevent runs. So continuing that puts us in a good spot for sure."

Jose Quintana dominates Brewers again in 3-0 Cubs win8m agoĽ 1 min read CHICAGO Jose Quintana pitched seven sharp innings to help the Chicago Cubs beat Milwaukee 3-0 on Saturday and continue his dominance of the Brewers.Quintana (3-1) has thrown 24 straight scoreless innings against Milwaukee dating to July 28. The left-hander tossed six innings of three-hit ball in a 3-0 win at Miller Park on April 8.Tommy La Stella drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single in the seventh, and Javier Baez had a run-scoring double. Pedro Strop, Brian Duensing and Steve Cishek combined for the last six outs in Chicago's third straight victory.The Cubs improved to 6-1 against the Brewers this season, including four shutouts.

Nationals face hot Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin 2h agoĽ 3 min read WASHINGTON -- Left-hander Patrick Corbin and the Arizona Diamondbacks look to continue their sizzling starts on Saturday against the Washington Nationals.Corbin (4-0, 1.89 ERA) has 48 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings, and ranks second in the majors in opponent's batting average (.140) and third in walks and hits per innings pitched (0.660).The reigning National League Player of the Week, Corbin was 2-0 for the week ending April 22 after his one-hit shutout of the San Francisco Giants and six innings of two-run ball Sunday against the San Diego Padres.Relying primarily on his slider, Corbin has struck out at least eight batters in each of his first five starts."I don't think I've seen a slider like that since Steve Carlton,'' Rick Schu, San Francisco Giants assistant hitting coach, told USA Today. "I mean, it just disappears.'' Corbin is 1-1 with a 5.31 ERA in four career starts against the Nationals, but has not faced them since 2015.Veteran Jeremy Hellickson (0-0, 4.50) makes his third start since replacing A. J. Cole in the Washington rotation.In his last start, Hellickson allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five in 5 1/3 innings against the Dodgers. He opened with five scoreless innings before Los Angeles got to him in the sixth.Hellickson, who went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA as a member of the Diamondbacks in 2015, is 0-3 with a 5.32 ERA in four career starts against them.In the series opener Friday night, A. J. Pollock homered and scored three runs to lead Arizona to a 5-4 win over the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg. Pollock drove in two runs and finished a double short of the cycle.Zack Godley (4-1) went five innings for the win. Arizona relievers retired 12 of the 13 batters they faced, with Brad Boxberger pitching the ninth for his seventh save in seven attempts."Tonight was all hands on deck," reliever Archie Bradley told MLB.com. "It's kind of exactly how you want to see it. I know it's not going to be that clean every time, but when Zack doesn't have his A stuff like that, that's where we have to pick it up and take it, and that's what we want to do." The NL West-leading Diamondbacks (18-7) have won five of six and are 9-4 on the road, matching Arizona's 2000 team for the best road start in franchise history.Strasburg (2-3) allowed five runs over 6 1/3 innings for Washington (11-15), which has lost five of its last six."He kept us in the game," manager Davey Martinez told MASN.com regarding Strasburg. "We left 10 runners on base. That's tough. We had 11 hits, but ... leadoff hitter was on base almost every inning. We just have to capitalize and cash in." Washington -- already missing second baseman Daniel Murphy, third baseman Anthony Rendon and outfielder Adam Eaton -- was without outfielder Michael A. Taylor on Friday night. Taylor, who experienced groin soreness in Wednesday's win over the Giants, grounded out as a pinch hitter.General manager Mike Rizzo addressed the team's injury situation before the game. He said Adam Eaton, who suffered a bone bruise earlier this month on the same ankle he injured last April, is being re-evaluated. He has been eligible to come off the disabled list for nearly a week."There hasn't been a further injury," Rizzo told the Washington Post. "We referred him back to the doctor that saw him originally to get an update on where he's at so we can feel comfortable pushing him into baseball activities more."

Diamondbacks beat Nationals 4-3 on bases-loaded walk6m agoĽ 1 min read WASHINGTON David Peralta connected twice in his first multihomer game and Nick Ahmed scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning, sending the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.The NL West-leading Diamondbacks took the first two games of the weekend set in Washington to become the first NL team since the 1907 Cubs to win nine straight series to start a season.Ahmed led off the 10th with a double off Sammy Solis (0-1). Peralta walked with one out before Austin Adams replaced Solis and issued consecutive walks to Jarrod Dyson and A. J. Pollock, putting the Diamondbacks in front.Yoshihisa Hirano (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the win. The Nationals loaded the bases with two out in the 10th before Brad Boxberger got Michael A. Taylor to bounce into a fielder's choice to pick up his eighth save in eight chances.

Hot Rays send rookie Chirions to mound against Red Sox 2h agoĽ 3 min read BOSTON -- Winners of seven straight games to turn around a terrible start, the Tampa Bay Rays send rookie Yonny Chirinos to the mound Saturday in the second game of a three-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway Park.The task won't be an easy one for Chirinos as he again seeks his first major league win as he goes against both the potent Boston lineup and former Rays left-hander David Price.Price is a so-so 4-3 with a 3.09 lifetime ERA against his original team, but most of the power from previous teams was sent away during the offseason and Price opened 2018 with 14 scoreless innings over Tampa Bay over two starts (1-0).Chirinos worked four scoreless innings in relief against the Red Sox in St. Petersburg April 1 and then, four days later, grabbed a spot in the rotation with five scoreless frames at Fenway.So, in nine innings against what has been the best-hitting team in baseball, Chirinos has yielded four hits and no runs while walking one and striking out seven.But he is still searching for that first win and hasn't been able to go more than 5 2/3 innings since joining the rotation -- and he gave up six runs in that 5 2/3-inning effort to suffer his first big league loss.Friday night, the Rays hit three homers in building a 4-0 lead against Drew Pomeranz and then held on for a 4-3 victory with the tying run on first base in the ninth inning. Lefty Blake Snell won his fourth straight.The Rays had their streak of five straight games with at least eight runs snapped Friday, but improved to 11-13 and have scored 51 runs during their longest winning streak since a nine-gamer for Joe Maddon in July, 2014.Asked about the effect of his team hanging in after leaving Boston with a 1-8 record earlier this month, manager Kevin Cash said, "Huge. All that credit goes to those guys in the clubhouse."I mean, the way that -- we were frustrated leaving here. Uh, three games -- two that we had opportunities to potentially win, but credit the guys in that clubhouse for keeping their heads up, going back to the drawing board, working together and kind of getting on a rhythm at the same time, offensively and on the pitching side." Tampa Bay has hit 12 home runs in its last five games.The Red Sox (19-6) have played four straight one-run games, going 2-2 in those games. They are 2-4 after a 17-2 start.The current Rays have dreadful numbers against Price. Carlos Gomez is 0-for-20, Rob Refsnyder 0-for-8, Matt Duffy 1-for-15 (.067), Denard Span 1-for-12 (.083), Brad Miller 5-for-30 (.167) and Adeiny Hechavarria 2-for-12 (.167).As a team, this roster, which has changed drastically since last season, is batting .126 in 127 at-bats, with no homers and just two RBIs against Price.In Chirinos' 9 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox, no one has more than four at-bats and the team is a combined 4-for-29 (.138).Xander Bogaerts, out since April 8 with a crack in his left ankle, returned to the lineup Friday night by going 3-for-4 -- raising his batting average to .405."We're very left-handed right now," manager Alex Cora said before Friday night's game. "The way he was driving the ball, it's important to have him there and the rest of the guys will fall into place." Bogaerts, who reached on an infield hit in the ninth inning, said the pain in his ankle feels like needles but it's nothing he can't play through.The Rays got Matt Duffy (hamstring) back and he was 1-for-5.To make room for Bogaerts, Brock Holt was placed on the 10-day DL with a left hamstring strain, while the Rays cleared Duffy's return by sending right-hander Austin Pruitt to Triple-A.Pruitt hadn't pitched since April 14.

Ramos homers, Rays beat Boston 12-6 for 8th straight win6m agoĽ 1 min read BOSTON Wilson Ramos went deep again and scored on Denard Span's inside-the-park homer, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 12-6 on Saturday for their eighth consecutive victory.It's the longest win streak for Tampa Bay since taking nine in a row in July 2014. The resurgent Rays have won nine of 10 overall to move within one game of .500 at 12-13.Johnny Field and Carlos Gomez also connected for Tampa Bay, and Matt Duffy finished with four hits. Field's three-run drive in the ninth was his first career homer.Ramos belted a two-run shot in the third against David Price, extending his homer streak to three games.

Dodgers-Giants Preview 9m agoĽ 3 min read SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants will take a bit of a worn-down bullpen into a rare double-header Saturday when they duel the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle two games of a four-game series at AT&T Park.Five Giants relievers combined for 5 2/3 shutout innings in Friday's 6-4 win over the Dodgers in the series opener.No one reliever threw more than 27 pitches, but four of the five were used for at least 20 on the eve of a double-header that figures to require more than the usual workload for each team's relief staff."It could have been worse," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after his team's fourth win in its last five games. "Sure, you'd like seven or eight innings (from starter Derek Holland) and have everyone fresh. But we just had a day off (Thursday), so all of (the relievers) should be available." The double-header was necessitated by a rainout on April 6, the first such postponement in San Francisco in 12 years.The onus will be on Game 1's two young starters, Walker Buehler of the Dodgers and Chris Stratton of the Giants, to ease the burden on the bullpen in case it's needed in the nightcap, which features a matchup of Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood against Giants righty Johnny Cueto.Buehler (0-0, 0.00) made his major-league starting debut Monday against Miami, throwing five shutout innings in a 2-1 home win. He allowed four hits and three walks, striking out five.The 23-year-old right-hander faced the Giants twice in relief as a rookie last season, allowing one run and four hits in two innings. He's 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in his career against San Francisco.Buehler, considered the Dodgers' best pitching prospect, was demoted to Class A Rancho Cucamonga after Monday's outing to open a roster spot. But he'll be recalled Saturday when Major League Baseball allows teams to add a 26th player to the active roster for a double-header.While his teammates were impressed with Buehler's 99-mph fastball, the pitcher likewise was impressed with his defense Monday."They don't do that very much in low-A ball," he said of some spectacular defense that allowed his shutout to continue. "These guys are really good." The Giants also will be welcoming back their starting pitcher when Stratton (2-1, 2.32) is activated off the paternity list following the birth of his child this week.The 27-year-old has faced the Dodgers twice already this month, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings in Los Angeles in a 9-0 loss and giving up another three runs (two earned) in five innings in a 7-5 home win.He's 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA in five career appearances, including four starts, against the Dodgers.The Giants started off their third consecutive series against the Dodgers with an unusual win, one that featured more than just good bullpen work.San Francisco overcame a two-run deficit with a four-run seventh, an inning that began with a Brandon Belt bunt for a hit, and featured a balk on Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez that allowed the go-ahead run to score.Baez stumbled on the mound, never letting go of the ball, while attempting a pitch to Joe Panik with runners at second and third.The nightcap Saturday features a matchup of pitchers who combined for 24 wins last season.Wood (0-2, 3.72) has gone 2-2 with a 4.36 ERA in his career against San Francisco. He will be making his seventh start against the Giants and 11th appearance overall against them.Cueto (2-0, 0.35) is 6-8 lifetime against the Dodgers with a 3.22 ERA in 18 starts.

Utley, Dodgers rout Giants 15-6; Sandoval pitches in blowout8m agoĽ 2 min read SAN FRANCISCO Chase Utley hit three doubles and a single as the Los Angeles Dodgers did damage against every San Francisco pitcher except emergency reliever Pablo Sandoval, routing the Giants 15-6 Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.Sandoval was summoned from third base to begin the ninth inning and, in his first major league pitching appearance, retired three straight batters on grounders. The 2012 World Series MVP threw 11 pitches, helping preserve the Giants' bullpen for the second game. He also had a hit and an RBI.Chris Taylor, who homered, and Utley each scored four times. Joc Pederson had four hits and drove in four runs, and Cody Bellinger had three hits and three RBIs as Los Angeles ended a three-game losing streak.The Dodgers had a season-high 20 hits, their most since getting 21 against Cincinnati on Aug. 22, 2016. Los Angeles lost right fielder Yasiel Puig to a sore left hip after he ran into a wall.Walker Buehler (1-0) allowed two runs and struck out six over five innings. The right-hander was recalled from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga before the game and added to the roster as the 26th man.Nick Hundley and Alen Hanson homered for the Giants. Chris Stratton (2-2) returned from the paternity list and gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings.Puig made a running one-handed catch and ran into a padded wall in the right corner of AT&T Park while chasing down Nick Hundley's deep foul to end the first inning. Manager Dave Roberts and team trainers rushed out and ran down the right field line as Puig dropped to the ground before getting to one knee.Puig remained on one knee for several moments, then got to his feet and walked slowly into the Dodgers dugout. He came out to bat in the second inning, fouled a ball of his foot, then flied out. He was removed in between innings.It is the first doubleheader between the two teams since Sept. 27, 2003. It was necessary after a rainout at AT&T Park on April 6.TRAINER'S ROOMDodgers: OF Matt Kemp did not start after leaving Friday's game with tightness in his left quad. He singled and scored as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.Giants: 2B Joe Panik was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb. ... OF Mac Williamson was put on the seven-day concussion list. ... Reliever Mark Melancon was transferred to the 60-day DL and RHP Derek Law was appointed as the 26th man for the doubleheader. ... OF Austin Slater was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.UP NEXTLos Angeles LHP Alex Wood (0-2, 3.72 ERA) pitches against San Francisco RHP Johnny Cueto (2-0, 0.35) in the second game.

Rangers, Blue Jays look for better effort 2h agoĽ 3 min read TORONTO -- The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays will be striving to play better Saturday afternoon after the sloppy opener of a three-game series Friday night.The Rangers could not hold a 4-0 lead and their sins included two errors, possibly because they were adjusting to the artificial turf of the Rogers Centre, before they were able to defeat the struggling Blue Jays 6-4."There were some great throws from our outfielders," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "Not a clean defensive game but good enough to get the win. We were able to make some plays when we needed to." The Blue Jays helped with some atrocious base running and the transgressions included the slow-footed first baseman Justin Smoak twice being thrown out on the bases, which partly offset his 4-for-4 game."Thrown out at third (trying to go first to third on a single in the third inning), that was just a bad mistake on my part," Smoak said. "I thought the ball got slowed down, but I guess it didn't. I'm not the fastest foot anyways so I have to be better at that. I was just trying to get to third base and it wasn't a good play there." "We didn't help ourselves out on the bases obviously tonight," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "You never really know what happens, but we weren't really good on the bases. That's kind of rare. We didn't play good, it was primarily the base running things. You never know, it might have been costly, but really that was the first game (of the season) that looked like that." The Blue Jays (14-11) have lost three in a row and six of their past eight. After a solid start to the season, they were jolted back to reality by losing five of seven games to American League East rivals, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.They need to win the next two games against the Rangers to avoid losing their third straight series.The Rangers (10-17) have won two in a row for the second time this season. The win Friday was their first in the opening game of a series this season, the last team in the majors to do so. They had lost the opener of their eight previous series.The Rangers will start right-hander Bartolo Colon (0-0, 2.59) against Blue Jays left-hander Jaime Garcia (2-1, 4.57 ERA) on Saturday.Colon will be making his sixth appearance and fourth start of the season. He has a 2.79 ERA in three starts. In his two starts on the road, he has a 1.32 ERA.The 44-year-old retired the first 21 batters he faced April 15 at Houston against the Astros before allowing a leadoff walk in the eighth and then a double.In three starts against the Blue Jays last season, Colon was 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA with both wins coming at the Rogers Centre. He is 7-4 with a 4.68 ERA in 15 career starts at the Rogers Centre.Garcia has faced the Rangers once in his career, posting his first win for the Blue Jays on April 8 when he allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.This will be his fifth start of the season overall.Blue Jays reliever John Axford was reinstated from the bereavement list Friday and reliever Tim Mayza was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. Mayza had been recalled from the Bisons last Monday when Axford was placed on the list and did not allow a run in two appearances.Axford allowed two hits and had two strikeouts when he worked the eighth and ninth innings Friday.Gibbons has been concerned about the heavy workload the bullpen has had early in the season. Starter Marcus Stroman did not help the cause Friday, allowing eight hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings, to go 0-3 with an 8.88 ERA after five starts this season.

Almost 45, Colon pitches Texas over Toronto 7-49m agoĽ 2 min read TORONTO Bartolo Colon pitched seven efficient innings to earn his first win with Texas, and Robinson Chirinos returned from a two-game absence to hit two solo home runs as the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 Saturday.Jurickson Profar added a two-run homer as Texas posted its season-high third straight victory.Less than a month from his 45th birthday, Colon (1-0) gave up three runs and six hits, walking none and striking out two. He retired the first nine batters in his sixth game for the Rangers, including four starts, and he left with a 2.87 ERA.Colon has gotten wins with 11 different teams in the majors, including the Montreal Expos. This was his 241st career victory - two short of tying Juan Marichal's mark for pitchers born in the Dominican Republic, and four from tying the record held by Dennis Martinez for most among Latin-born players.Jake Diekman worked the eighth, Kevin Jepsen got two outs in the ninth and Keone Kela finished for his sixth save in as many opportunities.Kevin Pillar homered twice and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also went deep for the Blue Jays, who have lost seven of nine. Gurriel's homer was the first of his career. All three Toronto homers were solo shots.Shin-Soo Choo had three hits and three RBIs for the Rangers, who have won five of seven on the road.Profar and Chirinos hit back-to-back homers off Jaime Garcia (2-2) in the second. It was the first time this season the Rangers have hit consecutive homers.Chirinos, who sat out Wednesday and Friday because of a sore left wrist, hit his second off reliever Seung Hwan Oh in the sixth. It was his fifth career multihomer game.Profar homered for the first time since 2016 with a first-pitch drive off the facing of the third deck in left. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Profar entered with the fifth-longest homer drought among position players, a 227 at-bat slump. Profar has 13 career home runs.Pillar hit a leadoff homer against Colon in the fifth and added a one-out drive off Kevin Jepsen in the ninth for his third career multihomer game.Choo's two-run double in the fourth ticked off the glove of center fielder Pillar, who appeared to slow up as he approached the ball, apparently fearful of a collision with left fielder Curtis Granderson.Colon was perfect until Granderson's leadoff double in the fourth, but the veteran right-hander responded by getting the next three batters in order.TRAINER'S ROOMBlue Jays: 3B Josh Donaldson (right shoulder) started at DH for Class-A Dunedin Saturday, his first rehab game. ... C Russell Martin and 2B Devon Travis got the day off.UP NEXTRangers: LHP Martin Perez (2-2, 9.82) is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in three career starts against the Blue JaysBlue Jays: LHP J. A. Happ (3-1, 3.72) makes his sixth start of the season. Toronto has won Happ's past four starts.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Indians' bats heat up against Mariners 3h agoĽ 2 min read CLEVELAND -- With their slumbering offense starting to show some life, the Cleveland Indians will host the Seattle Mariners Saturday afternoon in the third game of their four-game series.The two teams have split the first two games, the Mariners winning 5-4 on Thursday and Cleveland winning 6-5 on Friday when the Indians belted five solo home runs.It was a refreshing outburst by an Indians offense that has spent much of the first month of the season in hibernation. Although they are in first place in the AL Central, the Indians have struggled to score runs. At the start of play Thursday, they were 13th in the American League in runs scored and their team batting average of .217 was the lowest in the majors.Friday night that offense showed some life as the Indians collected 13 hits, including those five homers."It's warming up, and the ball is starting to carry," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "Some balls we're hitting out weren't going out earlier." One of those five Cleveland home runs on Friday was hit by designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who has had a rough month of April.Encarnacion is hitting just .180, with a team-leading 29 strikeouts. During his career, Encarnacion has traditionally been a slow starter. His career .238 batting average in the month of April is easily his lowest average for any month.Last year, his first with the Indians, Encarnacion hit .200 in April, with four home runs and nine RBIs. This year he is hitting .180 with six homers and 10 RBIs."We just have to keep running him out there, because when he clicks it's going to be fun," said Francona. "It's frustrating for him now, but he'll come out of it." Right-hander Carlos Carrasco, an 18-game winner last year, will start Saturday for Cleveland. Carrasco (4-0, 2.31 ERA) has a 0.77 ERA over his last three starts. His first start of the season came against the Mariners, on March 31 in Seattle, a 6-5 Cleveland victory in which Carrasco got the win. In 5 2/3 innings he gave up five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks.In seven career appearances (six starts) against the Mariners, Carrasco is 4-2 with a 3.49 ERA.Carrasco's last start this season was a 2-1 victory over Baltimore on Monday. In that game, Carrasco pitched 7 1/3 inning, allowing one run on six hits, with seven strikeouts and two walks.Carrasco has a career-long 10-game winning streak, dating back to Aug. 27, 2017. In his 12 starts during the streak he is 10-0 with a 1.70 ERA.Seattle's Saturday starter will be right-hander Mike Leake (2-2, 6.59). One of Leake's two wins this year came against Cleveland, in his first start of the season, a 5-4 victory on April 1. He pitched seven innings in that game, giving up two runs on five hits, with four strikeouts and three walks.In one start against the Indians last year Leake was 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA. In eight career starts against the Indians he is 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA.Leake's last start this year was a 10-4 loss to the White Sox on Monday. Leake got roughed up in that game, giving up eight runs on 12 hits, with one strikeout and no walks in 3 1/3 innings.Mariners outfielder Dee Gordon is questionable for Saturday's game. He was removed from Friday's game in the seventh inning for precautionary reasons after his left leg twisted awkwardly while he chased a fly ball.

Segura, Cruz lead Mariners to 12-4 win over Indians12m agoĽ 1 min read CLEVELAND Jean Segura hit a two-run homer and matched a career high with four RBIs, helping the Seattle Mariners rout the Cleveland Indians 12-4 on Saturday.Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Ryon Healy also connected in Seattle's highest-scoring game of the season. Dee Gordon had two hits and scored three times, and Cruz finished with four hits.Mike Leake (3-2) allowed four runs in six innings in his second victory against the Indians this season. The right-hander also beat Cleveland on April 1 in Seattle, allowing two runs in seven innings.Carlos Carrasco (4-1) lost for the first time since Aug. 27, ending a streak of 10 straight winning decisions. The right-hander allowed five runs, four earned, in three innings.Carrasco, who threw 64 pitches, had allowed a total of two earned runs in his previous three starts.Yonder Alonso homered and drove in three runs for Cleveland, which has alternates wins and losses over its last six games.Gordon led off the game with a single before Segura homered on a 2-0 pitch. Robinson Cano's towering drive to right was caught on the warning track by Tyler Naquin, but Cruz drove a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center.Seager added a two-run shot in Seattle's five-run fourth, and Healy hit his first homer of the season in the ninth. Healy was activated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday after being sidelined by a sprained ankle.TRAINER'S ROOMIndians: 1B Mike Napoli will have season-ending surgery Friday at the Cleveland Clinic to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. He got hurt playing for Triple-A Columbus. Napoli signed a minor league contract in spring training in hopes of being picked up by another team.UP NEXTMariners LHP Marco Gonzalez (2-2, 4.37 ERA) takes on Indians RHP Josh Tomlin (0-3, 9.24 ERA) in the finale of the four-game series. Tomlin allowed a career high-tying four homers Tuesday in a 10-3 home loss to the Cubs.

Braves get another shot at Phillies RHP Pivetta 3h agoĽ 2 min read The Philadelphia Phillies can't seem to lose with Nick Pivetta on the mound this season. The Atlanta Braves will have their third chance to beat him Saturday evening.Pivetta will face Braves righty Mike Foltynewicz at 6:05 p.m. ET in the middle game of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.The Phillies are 5-0 when Pivetta starts this season. That mark includes two wins against Atlanta in games started by Foltynewicz, even though Pivetta's two shortest outings of 2018 have come when facing Atlanta.Pivetta (1-0, 2.57 ERA) has 28 strikeouts in 28 innings, and he has allowed just 24 hits, four walks and eight runs so far this season. Pivetta was shaky in his season debut against the Braves, giving up three runs in four innings. He has a 1.88 ERA in his four starts since then.Pivetta limited the Braves to one run over five innings when he saw them again April 17. He then held the Pirates to two runs on five hits and struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings during his latest outing last Sunday."I just feel like I'm learning as I go along and having more consistent counts, getting ahead of guys and being able to put them away," Pivetta told the Philadelphia Inquirer after his last game.Pivetta, who had a 6.02 ERA as a rookie last season, is 3-0 with a 2.77 ERA and 1.192 WHIP in five career starts against the Braves.Foltynewicz (1-1, 2.77) does not have a win against the Phillies in two outings this season, but he has struck plenty of Philadelphia hitters out. Foltynewicz has 15 strikeouts in 11 innings against the Phillies in 2018, and his 11.4 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate for the season ranked fifth in the National League as of Friday.The 26-year-old had seven strikeouts in his last start, but Foltynewicz struggled with his command in a short outing against the Reds. He walked four batters while giving up two runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings last Monday in an Atlanta loss."At the end of the day, I just didn't do my job as a starter," Foltynewicz, who has made it past the fifth inning in only two of his five starts, told MLB.com after the start. "This year, it seems like I've been scratching and clawing just to get to the fifth inning. It's a little embarrassing. I let the team down and let the bullpen down tonight. They had a lot to pick up." Offensively, the Braves have been sparked by Ronald Acuna Jr., the 20-year-old outfielder who was called up earlier in the week. Acuna has six hits in his first three major league games, and he went 2-for-4 on Friday night with an RBI double.The Phillies are looking to even the season series against the Braves and also capture their first series win of the season against their National League East foe. The Braves are 4-3 against the Phillies this season and won two early season series in Atlanta.

Herrera makes great catch for Phils in 4-1 loss to Braves8m agoĽ 1 min read PHILADELPHIA Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera reached way into the bushes beyond the wall to make a sensational catch that robbed Freddie Freeman of a home run, but the Atlanta Braves wound up beating Philadelphia 4-1 Saturday night.Freeman later hit an RBI triple and Nick Markakis homered, helping Mike Foltynewicz and the Braves win for the ninth time in their last 12 games in Philadelphia.The Braves led 2-0 in the third inning when Freeman hit a drive to deep center. It looked like a two-run homer off the bat, but Herrera jumped high and reached far over the fence.As he caught the ball, Herrera's glove went into a bush that is part of the batter's eye. Herrera still held onto the ball, drawing loud cheers from the fans and amazed reactions from his teammates. The out call was upheld after a video review confirmed Herrera made the catch.Foltynewicz (2-1) allowed one run on three hits in six innings, striking out six and walking two. Arodys Vizcaino pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.Maikel Franco homered for the Phillies.Markakis gave Atlanta an early lead with a leadoff homer in the second against Nick Pivetta (1-1).The Braves went up 3-0 with a pair of runs in the third. Ryan Flaherty and Foltynewicz reached on a pair of singles that didn't leave the infield, Ender Inciarte hit an RBI single and Ozzie Albies added a sacrifice fly.Two innings later, Freeman put the Braves up 4-0 with an RBI triple to right-center that was far enough away from Herrera to find ground.Pivetta gave up four runs on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks in five innings.TRAINER'S ROOMBraves: LHP Luiz Gohara (left ankle) was activated off the 10-day DL and optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff threw a two-inning bullpen session on Saturday as he tries to work his way back from a strained right lat that has kept him on the DL all season. . SS J. P. Crawford (right elbow strain) was lifted for Pedro Florimon in the fifth.UP NEXTBraves RHP Brandon McCarthy (3-0, 3.38) opposes RHP Vince Velasquez (1-3, 4.50) in the finale of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

Cardinals pitching prospect to face Pirates for first time 3h agoĽ 2 min read St. Louis right-hander Jack Flaherty will be facing the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time in his career Saturday when the Cardinals play the middle game of a series at PNC Park.There is a growing set of voices calling for Flaherty to get a steadier diet of starts against major league clubs.Flaherty (0-0, 1.80 ERA) will face Pittsburgh right-hander Trevor Williams (3-1, 2.15 ERA).Flaherty, 22, has been consistently graded as one of St. Louis' top prospects. This will be the second time this season he is being recalled to fill in for injured veteran Adam Wainwright.On April 3 as a spot starter, Flaherty pitched five innings, allowing one run with a career-high nine strikeouts but did not get a decision in a 5-4 St. Louis loss at Milwaukee.He is coming off an impressive outing his last time out for Triple-A Memphis, where he was 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts since that game at Milwaukee.On April 19, Flaherty had his first professional complete game, a seven-inning outing at Omaha. He gave up two runs and two hits."It feels good to go deep in a game any time -- beginning of the season, end of the season. It just means things are going well," Flaherty told mlb.com. "And I'm just trying to keep that into next start and keep starts like this going." He likely didn't know that next start would be in a major league park.Flaherty allowed more than three run only once in 18 appearances in Triple-A the past two seasons.In his complete game against Omaha, 67 of his 95 pitches were strikes, and he got 11 of 26 batters out with three or fewer pitches. He set down the first 10 Omaha hitters."I felt really comfortable, and I was just looking to get some really quick outs," he said.Flaherty is rejoining the Cardinals (15-10) at a time when things were going well before the series opener. St. Louis is coming off a 5-1 homestand but blew a five-run lead and lost 6-5 in 11 innings on Friday.It was the third win in a row for Pittsburgh (15-11).Williams is coming off a start where his results were perhaps better than his performance.He carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning on Sunday at Philadelphia and got a no-decision after allowing two runs and one hit in six innings with five walks and seven strikeouts.As the walks might reveal, Williams had some difficulty hitting the strike zone. Of his 92 pitches, only slightly more than half (49) were strikes. He had a 3-0 count seven times."We maintained a good plan, and we stuck with what had worked," Williams said. "We pitched to weak contact."You walk a tightrope when you walk five guys. Luckily, the big inning didn't happen for them." Also in pitching news for this game, the Cardinals made a change in their bullpen, recalling right-hander Mike Mayers from Triple-A Memphis and optioning right-hander John Gant to Memphis.

Cervelli helps Pirates rally for 6-2 win over Cardinals10m agoĽ 1 min read PITTSBURGH Francisco Cervelli homered in the second inning and delivered a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the sixth, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Saturday night.The Pirates scored twice in the sixth, twice in the seventh and once in the eighth while erasing a 2-1 deficit. They also rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night.St. Louis right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-1) started the sixth inning with back-to-back walks before being lifted for Dominic Leone. Josh Bell hit an RBI single and Cervelli's fly ball to center scored Starling Marte to give Pittsburgh its first lead of the game.The Pirates added on against the Cardinals' bullpen in the seventh. Pinch-hitter David Freese had a sacrifice fly and Corey Dickerson singled in Sean Rodriguez.Colin Moran scored on Jose Martinez's error on a Gregory Polanco grounder in the eighth.Cervelli got Pittsburgh on the board with his fourth homer in the second inning. He hit five all of last year.Pirates starter Trevor Williams (4-1) pitched six innings of two-run ball. Michael Feliz, George Kontos and Edgar Santana combined for three scoreless innings in relief.Flaherty was charged with three runs and four hits. The rookie right-hander struck out two and walked four.TRAINER'S ROOMPirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (shoulder strain) will make his first rehab start with Class A Bradenton on Tuesday. He's expected to throw three innings. Musgrove has been on the disabled list since March 30. . 2B Josh Harrison (hand fracture) took infield practice with a modified glove. He's still expected to be about a month away from returning.UP NEXTCardinals: Luke Weaver (2-1, 4.85 ERA) will start the series finale Sunday. Weaver has given up 10 runs over his last two starts after allowing four total in his first three outings of the season.Pirates: RHP Nick Kingham is expected to be recalled from the minors for his major league debut. Kingham was 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in four starts with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Orioles hope to build on win over Tigers 3h agoĽ 2 min read BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles are starting to get more consistent starting pitching. Now, their bats seem to be awakening also.The Orioles totaled 11 runs and 24 hits in their past two games, losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday before beating the Detroit Tigers 6-0 on Friday. They got a strong start from Chris Tillman against the Tigers and hope to see more of the same from Andrew Cashner on Saturday at Camden Yards.Baltimore (7-19) halted a five-game losing streak with the Friday win and Tillman posted his first victory since May 7, 2017. He had gone 22 straight starts without a win.The Orioles needed a good effort from Tillman one night after ace Dylan Bundy was pounded by the Rays in a 9-5 loss. Tillman gave up just one hit in seven innings."It was fun to watch," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He was solid." The Orioles are hoping Cashner can be solid Saturday. He has pitched well most of the time this season (1-3, 3.60 ERA) and is helping a starting rotation that's slowly improving.Cashner (1-1, 1.80 career ERA versus the Tigers) is giving the Orioles the kind of consistency they hoped for when signing him during spring training. He'll be going against Francisco Liriano, who is off to a solid start (2-1, 3.13) this season.Liriano is 3-5 with a 4.10 ERA against Baltimore during his career.The Orioles got two homers from Pedro Alvarez in Friday's win and one from Manny Machado. Those 24 hits in two games could be a sign of an offense waking up as the Orioles are next-to-last in the majors with a .223 team batting average.Injuries have badly hurt the Orioles so far this season. Mark Trumbo has not played in a game and Jonathan Schoop, along with Colby Rasmus, remain on the disabled list with him.Now, Tim Beckham will be out for six to seven weeks after having core surgery Thursday in Philadelphia."I'm just going to go about my rehab 100 percent," he told MLB.com. "I've been through worse. Just want to stay in the right place mentally and be ready to help the team win ballgames when I come back." The Tigers want to start winning also, but they'll need to find some offense first. They've been blanked in the past two games and have not scored a run in 22 straight innings.Detroit (10-14) had a few scoring chances Friday but could not come through. The Tigers finished with only two hits after banging out eight in a 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday.Manager Ron Gardenhire said after Friday's game that efforts like those will not help their cause too much."We didn't score, so you're not going to win like that," he said.The Tigers got a good six-inning effort from starter Mike Fiers on Friday after Michael Fulmer threw six shutout innings in the loss at Pittsburgh. He got a no-decision in that game because of the lack of offensive production.

Cabrera leads Tigers past Orioles 9-59m agoĽ 2 min read BALTIMORE Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in five runs and the Detroit Tigers snapped a three-game skid with a 9-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.Cabrera finished with three hits and has 11 homers in 34 games at Camden Yards.Francisco Liriano (3-1) allowed three runs and six hits with one strikeout and two walks over 6 1/3 innings. He has beaten Baltimore twice this year.Victor Martinez hit a solo homer off Darren O'Day in the ninth that gave the Tigers some breathing room.Manny Machado had two hits and two RBIs for the Orioles, who have lost 12 of their last 14 games. Baltimore can still salvage its first series win at home Sunday.Detroit snapped a streak of 22 scoreless innings when Nicholas Castellanos hit an RBI single in the first.The Tigers extended their lead to 5-0 in the second off Andrew Cashner (1-4) on an RBI single by Leonys Martin and a three-run shot by Cabrera.Cabrera increased the margin to 7-0 with a two-run double in the fourth.Cashner allowed seven runs and seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks over four innings, his shortest outing of the season.Baltimore finally got on the board in the fifth on a fielder's choice by Craig Gentry. The Tigers extended the lead to 8-1 on an RBI single by James McCann off Pedro Araujo in the seventh.The Orioles closed the gap when Warwick Saupold hit Chance Sisco and walked Jace Peterson with the bases loaded. Joe Jimenez entered and allowed a two-run singe to Manny Machado that cut the margin to 8-5.The game was delayed 30 minutes because of rain.MOVESOrioles: OF Joey Rickard was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and started in right field. The move provided Baltimore with a four-man bench. LHP Tanner Scott was optioned to the Tides.TRAINER'S ROOMOrioles: 3B Tim Beckham (groin) is traveling to the team's spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla. to begin rehab Sunday. Beckham, who underwent surgery Thursday, is not expected to begin playing games for at least six weeks.UP NEXTTigers: LHP Daniel Norris (0-1, 4.91 ERA) threw out of the bullpen Wednesday in a double-header against the Pirates, allowing a run and two hits with pair of strikes and a walk over two innings.Orioles: Kevin Gausman (1-2, 4.66 ERA) allowed four runs and two hits over eight innings in his last start against Cleveland, his longest outing since last September. He has posted a 3.24 ERA in his past four starts after allowing six runs in the season opener.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Rockies hope to contnue road success vs. Marlins 3h agoĽ 3 min read MIAMI -- As the Miami Marlins are getting healthier, the Colorado Rockies are heading in the opposite direction.The Rockies won the first game 1-0 on Friday, extending their win streak to three games and improving their road record this season to 10-5.Even though they lost, the Marlins veteran third baseman Martin Prado came off the disabled list and made his 2018 debut, going 0-for-4.With Prado back, the Marlins shifted rookie third baseman Brian Anderson to right field, a position he had never played as a pro.It was a surprising move by the Marlins, a last-place team that is rebuilding with a youth movement. The decision was also odd because Prado has vast experience as an outfielder and might have been seen as the more likely candidate to move off of third base.Even so, Anderson had a positive outlook."It's exciting," Anderson told mlb.com. "I'm going to try to make the routine play and keep the ball in front of me." Prado, 34, on Friday played his first major league game since July 17."I feel like I just got called up to the majors," said Prado, who had been battling an injury to his right knee. "It's been a roller-coaster of emotions, but I'm going to do everything I can to help the team." Prado has two years and $28.5 million left on his contract, and perhaps the Marlins are showcasing him at third base in an effort to dump his salary.The Marlins also appear to be on the verge of getting starting pitchers Dan Straily (forearm) and Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) back from the disabled list. Shortstop JT Riddle (shoulder) is also on the mend. All three could be back as soon as this weekend.Meanwhile, injuries became a serious issue for the Rockies during Friday's game.Second baseman DJ LeMahieu left Friday's game due to a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Pat Valaika.More concerning, left-hander Tyler Anderson, who started on Friday, lasted just 1 1/3 innings. He left because of an abnormal heartbeat, and his premature departure put a strain on Colorado's bullpen.The Rockies did receive some good news on Friday. Outfielder Gerardo Parra returned from a four-game suspension, and fellow outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (hamstring injury) is hitting in the cages and could be back soon.In addition, Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, who pitched a combined shutout on Tuesday, has reported progress on his bruised heel and could return to the rotation early next week."There's some swelling," Freeland told mlb.com. "We're trying to spread out the bleeding. It feels a lot better." Saturday's pitching matchup will feature Colorado right-hander German Marquez against Miami left-hander Caleb Smith.Marquez, 23, went 11-7 with a 4.39 ERA last year in his first full season in the majors. He finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.This season, Marquez, a native of Venezuela, is off to a slow start at 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA. His strikeouts are up slightly from 8.2 per nine innings to 8.6. His hits are down from 9.7 to 9.0. But his walks have increased from 2.7 to 5.3.Those walks have led to two starts this month in which Marquez has allowed six or more runs.Smith, meanwhile, is still looking for his first major league win. He is 0-4 with a 6.69 ERA for his career and 0-3 with a 5.82 ERA this season.Similar to Marquez, walks have been a problem as Smith is averaging 6.2 bases on balls per nine innings. But he is allowing just 7.5 hits and is striking out 13.3 batters on average.Smith has been comfortable at Marlins Park with a 3.48 ERA in two appearances this season. That is in contrast to his 7.94 road ERA in three outings.

Chen wins first start in nearly a year beating Rockies 4-19m agoĽ 2 min read MIAMI Wei-Yin Chen pitched into the sixth inning in his first start in nearly a year and the Miami Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Saturday night.Chen (1-0) allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two in his first game since last May 1 against Tampa Bay due to an elbow strain.Derek Dietrich homered and drove in two runs for the Marlins, and Martin Prado had three hits and two RBIs in his second game of the season after returning from a hamstring injury. Miami has won three of four.Kyle Barraclough pitched the ninth for his first save of the season getting the nod over struggling closer Brad Ziegler.Charlie Blackmon hit his ninth home run of the season for the Rockies, who snapped a three-game winning streak.Colorado starter German Marquez (1-3) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings, throwing a career-high 113 pitches.Chen started his night striking out Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, and Trevor Story in the first inning.The Marlins backed Chen with run support with Prado knocking in a run in the first and third innings. Dietrich's base hit in the fourth extended the lead to 3-0.Blackmon got the Rockies on the scoreboard with his homer to deep right-center field in the sixth.Dietrich homered in the seventh to push Miami's lead to 4-1.TRAINER'S ROOMRockies: LHP Tyler Anderson left Friday's start early with a heartbeat issue, but manager Bud Black says, ''Tyler is fine. He checked out well last night through the doctors here at the stadium, a clean bill of health. He's fine today. I say this often, I'm not a doctor so I don't know what happened, but I'm glad that he's feeling better.'' ... 2B DJ LeMahieu (right hamstring) was held out of the lineup after leaving Friday's game early and is considered day-to-day. ... OF Carlos Gonzalez (right hamstring) is eligible to return from the disabled list on Sunday and Black is optimistic he will be able to return soon.Marlins: 1B Justin Bour was a late scratch from the lineup due to back spasms. ... RHP Dan Straily (forearm) is expected to make his season debut Monday starting against Philadelphia. ''We feel like we've taken our time with him to make sure he's fully ready so he wasn't coming back in before he was actually prepared to pitch,'' Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ''We talked about him in L. A. and it just didn't work out. Everybody felt better about him getting an extra (rehab) start building him up where he's totally confident and we're confident he's a regular starter from the standpoint of pitches, just a full start.'' UP NEXTRockies: RHP Chad Bettis (3-0, 2.40 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale. The Rockies are 4-1 this season in his starts.Marlins: LHP Caleb Smith (0-3, 5.82) had his start pushed back a day for Chen.

A's want to continue to prove themselves vs. Astros 2h agoĽ 2 min read HOUSTON -- Earlier this week, it was the Los Angeles Angels who came to town looking to prove to the defending World Series champions that the pursuit for the American League West pennant would be hotly contested. This weekend, the Oakland Athletics seek to do the same.The Athletics (14-12) claimed the opener of their series with the Astros on Friday night, 8-1, behind ace left-hander Sean Manaea, who extended his hitless innings streak to a club-record 14 and surrendered just one unearned run over seven innings while lowering his AL-leading ERA to 1.03.It was the Astros who entered the series with the ballyhooed rotation but Oakland has won 9 of 11 behind sterling starting pitching beginning with Manaea, who no-hit the Boston Red Sox in his previous appearance before shutting down the Astros at Minute Maid Park.Right-hander Daniel Mengden (2-2, 3.86 ERA), originally selected by the Astros in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, will start the middle game of the series for the Athletics. Mengden was traded to Oakland along with catching prospect Jacob Nottingham in return for veteran left-hander (and Houston native) Scott Kazmir on July 23, 2015.Mengden is 0-2 with a 6.33 ERA over four career starts against his former organization. He did not factor into the decision in an 11-4 road win on Sept. 9, 2017, after allowing three runs, five hits, and two walks in six innings.Mengden has allowed one earned run in each of his two previous appearances, a span that covers 14 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts against one walk. Manaea is the Athletics' anchor, but Mengden is rounding into form as a worthy complement, with Houston providing the next test.The Astros (17-10) will counter with right-hander Lance McCullers (3-1, 4.67 ERA) in an attempt to square the three-game set. He is 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA over four career starts against the Athletics, including an appearance last April 15 in Oakland when he allowed five runs on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in a game the Astros won 10-6.In the micro view, the Astros are seeking a solid enough performance from McCullers to avoid dropping their third consecutive series at home. From a broader perspective, the Astros need McCullers to showcase consistency, a trait that has eluded him throughout his brief career.Armed with a potent fastball-curveball repertoire, McCullers has twice recorded double-digit strikeouts this season.He also failed to log at least six innings in his first three starts, coughed up a staff-high eight runs over 3 2/3 innings at Minnesota on April 11, and labored through his last outing in surrendering eight hits and three free passes over six innings.McCullers allowed just one run in that victory over the White Sox, but he also produced a season-low three strikeouts. His 11 swinging strikes in Chicago represented his second-lowest total this season.With Oakland poised to make a statement like the Angels did in beating the Astros twice earlier this week, McCullers could give Houston the momentum it seeks with a strong start.

McCullers, Altuve lead Astros over Athletics 11-07m agoĽ 2 min read HOUSTON Lance McCullers threw seven sharp innings, Jose Altuve had four hits and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 11-0 Saturday night.Altuve hit a towering home run that left the ballpark and doubled. George Springer, Derek Fisher and Marwin Gonzalez also homered in the highest-scoring this season for the World Series champions.McCullers (4-1) allowed two hits, striking out seven without a walk for his third straight win. The right-hander was perfect before Mark Canha singled to lead off the sixth inning. McCullers has not given up more than one run in each of his last three starts.Altuve singled and scored in the first, hit an RBI double in the second and had a solo home run in the sixth.Fisher hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Springer had a leadoff drvie in the sixth. Gonzalez, who had a sacrifice fly in the third, hit a solo home run into the second deck in right in the seventh.Houston got to Daniel Mengden (2-3) early, with three runs in the first on sacrifice flies by Yuli Gurriel and Josh Reddick followed by an RBI double by Alex Bregman.Mengden was tagged for five runs and six hits in a season-low 2 1/3 innings.TRAINER'S ROOMAthletics: RHP Paul Blackburn, who is currently on the 60-day disabled list with a strained right forearm, is throwing out to 90 feet but not off the mound, manager Bob Melvin said. . OF Boog Powell (sprained right knee) is doing strengthening and conditioning but no baseball activity, Melvin said.HALLION HAS A SCAREHome plate umpire Tom Hallion took a foul ball off his chest during Marcus Semien's first inning at bat. Hallion, who is also the crew chief, immediately fell back, laying flat on his back. Houston catcher Brian McCann leaned over Hallion, holding his hand while the other umpires and a Houston trainer ran to tend to the home plate umpire. After a few minutes, Hallion was helped to a sitting position before standing up and resuming play, staying in for the rest of the game.UP NEXTAthletics: RHP Trevor Cahill (1-0) will make his third start of the season Sunday after earning a no decision Monday at Texas, allowing three runs in five innings.Astros: RHP Gerrit Cole (2-1) will look to bounce back after being handed his first loss of the season Monday against the Angels, allowing two runs in seven innings.

White Sox, Twins set for doubleheader after playing extras 11h agoĽ 3 min read KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals played 11 innings on Friday night before the White Sox prevailed, 7-4.The two teams are scheduled to play 18 more innings Saturday in a day-night doubleheader.Right-hander Trevor Oaks will be the Royals 26th man and start the first game of the doubleheader. It will be Oaks' big-league debut."We liked a lot about him in spring training," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We liked the fact he had a tremendous sinker. With a lot of movement on that pitch to the point Cal (Eldred, pitching coach) said, 'you don't need to be working corners on this, but just attack down in the zone and let that great natural action take care of the result for you.'"He's gotten off to a good start down in Omaha. He's throwing the ball good from the reports we've got and from the scouts that have watched him and recommended him. I'm excited to see him pitch tomorrow." The White Sox will counter with rookie right-hander Carson Fulmer in the afternoon game. Fulmer is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in five games, four of them starts, this season. He has allowed 20 hits, walked 10 and hit two batters in 18 innings.Opponents are hitting .270 with three home runs off Fulmer. He has also struck out 15.Rookie left-hander Eric Skoglund will start the second game for the Royals. Skoglund is 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA in three starts this season.He will be facing the White Sox for the second time in his career. He faced them on Sept. 13, giving up two earned runs on five hits in a no-decision.In Skoglund's previous start, he got a no-decision in the Royals' 8-5 triumph over Detroit on Sunday. He was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.The White Sox have not announced on who will be their starter for the second game.The Royals have been unable to slow down White Sox third baseman Matt Davidson, who had seven home runs in 15 at-bats over four games this season at Kauffman Stadium. That sets a record for home runs by an opposing player in a season at The K."He's had tremendous at-bats," said Joe McEwing, who is the acting manager while Rich Renteria attends his mother's funeral "He's had tremendous at-bats the last couple of days. He's feeling pretty good at the plate. He's seeing the ball well. Hitting all different types of pitches to all fields. He's using the whole field. He hit a 3-1 slider opposite field. He's feeling pretty good right now." Davidson hit three home runs in the White Sox season opening victory at Kansas City. He has belted four home runs in the first two games of this five-game Kauffman Stadium series. His two-run homer in the 11th put the White Sox ahead to stay."At this level, I guess you don't really kind of expect that," Davidson said. "But, it happened, so I just want to keep it going. We've got a lot of ground to make up and we won the game. That's all that really matters." "I think that's the kind of hitter I am. That's my strengths, kind of the gaps and line drives. That's when I'm at my best. I'm not just a straight pull hitter, but when I'm using the middle of the field, the gaps, obviously, I'm at my best." Four of the White Sox victories this year have come at the Royals' expense.

Fulmer, Palka, White Sox beat KC 8-0 to open doubleheader2h agoĽ 3 min read KANSAS CITY, Mo. Chicago White Sox acting manager Joe McEwing had Trayce Thompson in the on-deck circle to hit for Daniel Palka in the seventh inning against Kansas City lefty Eric Stout.But when Royals manager Ned Yost opted to bring in right-hander Birch Smith, McEwing let Palka hit.Palka hit a three-run homer, part of his big performance as the White Sox beat Kansas City 8-0 Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader.Palka had four hits and scored three times and Carson Fulmer allowed four singles over seven innings to lead Chicago.''They didn't announce Trayce's name, so when they brought in another pitcher, they told me to come back out,'' Palka said. ''Worked out pretty good. That's a pretty funny story.'' Palka, who was hitless in his first eight at-bats since debuting Wednesday, was a triple shy of a cycle.The White Sox are 5-0 against the Royals this season and 3-16 against other opponents. The Royals have been outscored 32-11 during a five-game losing streak and are a major league-worst 1-12 at home. They have lost 15 of their last 17.Fulmer (2-1) left after 109 pitches, walked three and struck out three. In his past two starts, he has allowed seven hits and two runs over 13 innings.Matt Davidson, who has seven home runs against the Royals this season, hit a double and two singles.Palka, Tim Anderson and Leury Garcia, the White Sox 7-8-9 hitters, went a combined 8 for 13 and scored five runs. Yolmer Sanchez also drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning.McEwing managed in place of Rick Renteria, who attended his mother's funeral.Trevor Oaks (0-1), who was the Royals' 26th man, gave up five runs on 12 hits over five innings in his major league debut.''Obviously, a lot of excitement and adrenaline, but it didn't exactly go the way I wanted it to,'' Oaks said. ''I got out of a couple of jams. I'm going to learn a lot from this. I think it's a good first start. I'm going to move forward and do the best I can to get back up here for sure.'' ''Making it to the big leagues, a lot of people kind of take that and they just give up after that, like they've accomplished that they've arrived. I think this is just a first step for me and hopefully a long career,'' he said.The Royals loaded the bases in the first inning on walks to Salvador Perez and Jorge Soler sandwiched around Lucas Duda's single, but Jon Jay flied out to the right field warning track to end the threat.''Jay hit the ball really good,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''I was hoping he would get enough of it to give us a nice little lead to work off of, but not quite enough.'' Soler has walked in eight straight games, matching the longest streak this season in the majors.Fulmer retired 18 of the final 22 hitters he faced.''Jay barreled it up about as good as he could and put a really good swing on it,'' Fulmer said. ''Luckily the wind was blowing in quite a bit to keep it down. I haven't really had to face too many guys with two outs, bases loaded.'' ROSTER MOVESThe Royals recalled RHP Scott Barlow from Triple-A Omaha and optioned Stout, who threw 23 pitches in the first game, to the Storm Chasers between games. . The White Sox recalled RHP Dylan Covey from Triple-A Charlotte to start the second game. They optioned RHP Gregory Infante to Charlotte. . Reliever Juan Minaya was called up from Triple-A Charlotte to serve as the White Sox 26th man for the split doubleheader.BUCHHOLZ UPDATERoyals RHP Clay Buchholz allowed one earned run on four hits over five innings in a no-decision in a start for Triple-A Omaha at Colorado Springs. The 33-year-old, who was two-time American League All-Star selection with Boston, is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three minor league starts. He signed a minor league contract in late March with the Royals with an out clause if not added to the big league roster by Tuesday.TRAINER'S ROOMWhite Sox: LF Nicky Delmonico returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a stiff neck.UP NEXTThe Royals will start RHP Ian Kennedy in the series finale. Kennedy left his previous start after three innings with a bruised toe from a line drive. The White Sox have not yet announced their starter.

Vargas makes his Mets debut vs. Padres 1h agoĽ 2 min read SAN DIEGO - Left-hander Jason Vargas makes his long-awaited, 2018 season debut for the New York Mets Saturday night at Petco Park as he goes up against San Diego Padres left-handed rookie Joey Lucchesi.Signed to a two-year contract by the Mets as a free agent last Feb. 18, Vargas was pitching on a back field during spring training when a come-backer caused a non-displaced fracture of the hamate bone in his right (non-pitching) hand.Surgery and a slower-than-expected rehab forced the 35-year-old left-hander to miss his first five starts of the season.The problem wasn't the injury. The hamate bone was removed March 20 and because the injury was to his right hand, Vargas maintained a throwing program the entire time he was on the disabled list. But the surgical incision in his hand was slow to heal."The healing took longer than expected, that's for sure," Vargas said earlier this week after rejoining the Mets. "It was frustrating waiting for the incision to heal." Before the injury, Vargas had pitched three times in spring training with a 4.15 earned run average. On April 23, he allowed three runs on three hits over four innings in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League.Vargas was 18-11 last season with a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts for Kansas City. He led the American League in wins, although he had a 6.38 ERA in the second half of the season after posting a 2.62 mark before the All-Star break. The 6-foot, 215-pounder has an 85-81 career record with a 4.17 ERA.Injuries are nothing new to Vargas. He suffered a torn labrum in his hip in 2008. In 2013, Vargas missed time with a blood clot in his left armpit. The following season, he missed time following an appendectomy. And in 2015 he suffered a flexor strain before having Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.Vargas has a career 2-1 record against the Padres with a 2.39 ERA. He is 0-1 and allowed two runs in six innings in his only previous start at Petco Park. Vargas last faced the Padres on July 1, 2011, while a member of the Seattle Mariners, and he threw a complete-game shutout.Lucchesi, 24, will be facing the Mets for the first time. The Padres' fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, has made five starts and is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He is the only Padres pitcher with a winning record, although he suffered his first career loss in his last start April 21 in Arizona. He gave up four runs, five hits and four walks in five innings in the 4-2 defeat.Lucchesi leads all major league rookies in ERA and opponents' on-base percentage (.283) and ranks second in innings pitched (26 2/3) and opponents' batting average (.229) and ranks third in strikeouts (29).Lucchesi, who creates deception with a herky-jerky delivery that ends with a high leg kick, picked up his second straight win on April 15 when he held the Giants to one run on five hits while striking out a career-high nine over six innings.

Cordero, Villanueva, Hedges power Padres past Mets 12-28m agoĽ 1 min read SAN DIEGO Franchy Cordero hit a three-run homer estimated at 453 feet, Christian Villanueva had a two-run shot and Austin Hedges drove in a career-high five runs as the San Diego Padres roughed up Jason Vargas and the New York Mets 12-2 on Saturday night.Rookie lefty Joey Lucchesi (3-1) limited the Mets to four hits in 5 2-3 innings while striking out six and walking two. He exited two batters after surrendering a two-run homer by Yoenis Cespedes that sailed into the Padres' bullpen beyond the fence in center field.Hedges, the light-hitting catcher, came up big with a two-run single in the third, a two-run double in the fourth and an RBI single in the sixth. He raised his average from .143 to .176.Vargas (0-1) had a rough season debut five weeks after breaking a bone in his glove hand in spring training. He allowed nine runs and nine hits, four for extra bases, in 3 2-3 innings.Vargas tied for the major league lead with 18 wins last year with Kansas City.Villanueva extended his hitting streak to 11 games hit a two-run homer to left-center with one out in the first, his eighth. He was robbed of another two-run shot when Juan Lagares made a nice leaping catch against the fence in left-center.Cordero homered to right-center with two outs in the fourth to give the Padres a 9-0 lead and chase Vargas. It was his sixth. It was his third homer of more than 450 feet, the most in the big leagues this year.Manuel Margot hit a two-run triple in the first.TRAINER'S ROOMPadres: Wil Myers strained his left oblique on a swinging strike in the fifth, stayed in for one more pitch and then left the game. He was replaced by Matt Szczur.UP NEXTMets: RHP Zack Wheeler (1-1, 4.24) is scheduled to start the series finale. He's 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts against the Padres.Padres: RHP Bryan Mitchell (0-2, 5.76) is still looking for his first win with the Padres. This will be his sixth start, fourth at home.

Angels' Ohtani might not face Yankees' Tanaka 18m agoĽ 2 min read The matchup between Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Masahiro Tanaka of the New York Yankees was expected to take center stage Saturday night at Angel Stadium, but that's no longer a certainty.Ohtani rolled his left ankle while running out a ground ball to start the fifth inning in the series opener on Friday night and left long before the 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Yankees. He was diagnosed with a mild sprain."Just kind of rolled it a little bit," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters after the game. "We'll evaluate it day to day." Ohtani is a rookie pitcher/designated hitter from Japan who has performed well in his first month in the majors. His next start on the mound was expected to be on Tuesday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.Tanaka (3-2, 4.97 ERA) is a veteran right-hander who came to the Yankees from Japan in 2014 and achieved All-Star status in his first season.The Angels and Yankees feature two of the best hitters in the majors so far this season as well.Angels outfielder Mike Trout and New York shortstop Didi Gregorius each has a major league-leading 10 home runs.Gregorius hit his 10th on Friday night in the top of the 10th to break a 3-3 tie in the victory that extended New York's winning streak to seven games.Ohtani homered earlier in the game to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.Tanaka is coming off his best outing of the season, allowing one run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 14-1 win against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Monday.Those numbers were very similar to his last start against the Angels, when he allowed one earned run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings of a 5-3 win at Angel Stadium on June 12 of last season.Tanaka has made four starts overall in his career against the Angels. He is 1-0 with a 1.63 ERA in 27 2/3 innings, his lowest ERA against a team he has faced more than once.Angels starter Garrett Richards (3-0, 3.46) made his major league debut against the Yankees on Aug. 10, 2011. He gave up a three-run homer to Curtis Granderson before he recorded his first out and has continued to struggle against New York.He is 0-3 in his career against the Yankees with a 6.65 ERA, but like Granderson, many of the players who were successful against Richards are no longer on the team.The only current Yankees who have faced Richards are Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Gregorius, and they're a combined 3-for-17 with no extra-base hits against him.Richards is trying to start 4-0 for the second time in his career. He won his first four decisions in 2014, and was 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA that year when he sustained a season-ending left knee injury while covering first base against the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 26.Richards was then limited to six starts in the 2016 season and six in 2017.He was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow in May of 2016. He opted for stem-cell therapy rather than the more traditional Tommy John surgery.He returned for the 2017 season, but after one game went on the 60-day disabled list after a scan revealed irritation to the cutaneous nerve. He returned to make five starts in September and finished the season 0-2 with a 2.28 ERA.

Tanaka, Yankees dominant in 11-1 rout of Angels5m agoĽ 2 min read ANAHEIM, Calif. Masahiro Tanaka struck out nine in six strong innings, and the New York Yankees' bats continued to sizzle in an 11-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.The Yankees (17-9) have won eight consecutive games and have outscored opponents 62-17 during that streak. They had 14 hits Saturday and still left 0 men on base.The Yankees scored five runs in the first inning and five in the second to build a double-digit lead. They sent every player to the plate in each of those innings. The Angels (16-11) after a hot start to the season have lost eight of their last 11 games.Aaron Judge was 3-for-3 by the time the game was just three innings old. Angels starter Garrett Richards allowed four extra-base hits in 1 2/3 innings before he was chased. He gave up nine runs (five earned) on five hits and walked three.Aaron Hicks tripled off Richards while Judge, Miguel Andujar and Gary Sanchez all doubled. Andujar has extra-base hits in 10 of his last 12 games.Tanaka (4-2) was dominant. He retired the first eight batters he faced and struck out the side in the second inning. He didn't allow a hit until Mike Trout singled to left field to lead off the fourth inning.The much-anticipated matchup between Tanaka on the mound and fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani didn't happen since Ohtani was out of the lineup with an ankle injury. Ohtani and Tanaka faced each other in Japan in 2013, but Ohtani never got a hit off Tanaka. Their first meeting in Major League Baseball will have to wait.The Angels got on the board via a Zack Cozart leadoff solo home run to left field off Tanaka in the fifth inning.Richards (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season. His ERA climbed to 4.88.Albert Pujols was 0-for-4. He has 2,995 hits.TRAINER'S ROOMYankees: OF Clint Frazier (concussion symptoms) was 0-for-4 with one run scored Saturday in a rehab assignment with Class A Tampa, his third consecutive game. He is 0-for-8 over the last two days.Angels: SS Andrelton Simmons (sore right forearm) was scratched from Saturday's lineup. He was hit by a pitch in the forearm one week ago ... RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani (mild left ankle strain) was out of the lineup Saturday. He was sore and receiving treatment after he left Friday's game after rolling his ankle a little bit on the first-base bag.UP NEXTYankees: CC Sabathia (1-0, 1.86) earned his first victory of the season in his fifth start Tuesday against Minnesota. He's unbeaten in his last 12 regular season starts dating back to last season. The 37-year-old was on the disabled list with a hip strain for 12 days.Angels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (3-1, 2.96) leads the Angels in innings pitched (27 1/3) and has the best ERA among Angels starters. He earned th win against Houston in his last start, going seven scoreless innings.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Dodgers-Giants Preview 12m agoĽ 3 min read SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants will take a bit of a worn-down bullpen into a rare double-header Saturday when they duel the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle two games of a four-game series at AT&T Park.Five Giants relievers combined for 5 2/3 shutout innings in Friday's 6-4 win over the Dodgers in the series opener.No one reliever threw more than 27 pitches, but four of the five were used for at least 20 on the eve of a double-header that figures to require more than the usual workload for each team's relief staff."It could have been worse," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after his team's fourth win in its last five games. "Sure, you'd like seven or eight innings (from starter Derek Holland) and have everyone fresh. But we just had a day off (Thursday), so all of (the relievers) should be available." The double-header was necessitated by a rainout on April 6, the first such postponement in San Francisco in 12 years.The onus will be on Game 1's two young starters, Walker Buehler of the Dodgers and Chris Stratton of the Giants, to ease the burden on the bullpen in case it's needed in the nightcap, which features a matchup of Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood against Giants righty Johnny Cueto.Buehler (0-0, 0.00) made his major-league starting debut Monday against Miami, throwing five shutout innings in a 2-1 home win. He allowed four hits and three walks, striking out five.The 23-year-old right-hander faced the Giants twice in relief as a rookie last season, allowing one run and four hits in two innings. He's 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in his career against San Francisco.Buehler, considered the Dodgers' best pitching prospect, was demoted to Class A Rancho Cucamonga after Monday's outing to open a roster spot. But he'll be recalled Saturday when Major League Baseball allows teams to add a 26th player to the active roster for a double-header.While his teammates were impressed with Buehler's 99-mph fastball, the pitcher likewise was impressed with his defense Monday."They don't do that very much in low-A ball," he said of some spectacular defense that allowed his shutout to continue. "These guys are really good." The Giants also will be welcoming back their starting pitcher when Stratton (2-1, 2.32) is activated off the paternity list following the birth of his child this week.The 27-year-old has faced the Dodgers twice already this month, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings in Los Angeles in a 9-0 loss and giving up another three runs (two earned) in five innings in a 7-5 home win.He's 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA in five career appearances, including four starts, against the Dodgers.The Giants started off their third consecutive series against the Dodgers with an unusual win, one that featured more than just good bullpen work.San Francisco overcame a two-run deficit with a four-run seventh, an inning that began with a Brandon Belt bunt for a hit, and featured a balk on Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez that allowed the go-ahead run to score.Baez stumbled on the mound, never letting go of the ball, while attempting a pitch to Joe Panik with runners at second and third.The nightcap Saturday features a matchup of pitchers who combined for 24 wins last season.Wood (0-2, 3.72) has gone 2-2 with a 4.36 ERA in his career against San Francisco. He will be making his seventh start against the Giants and 11th appearance overall against them.Cueto (2-0, 0.35) is 6-8 lifetime against the Dodgers with a 3.22 ERA in 18 starts.

Sandoval pitches perfect inning, Giants lose to Dodgers 15-64h agoĽ 3 min read SAN FRANCISCO The Los Angeles Dodgers had no problem knocking around every pitcher the San Francisco Giants threw at them, except one - Pablo Sandoval.San Francisco's backup infielder turned into an emergency reliever in the ninth and pitched a perfect inning as the Dodgers romped 15-6 Saturday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.Sandoval was summoned from third base and, in his first major league pitching appearance, retired three straight batters on grounders. The 2012 World Series MVP threw 11 pitches, helping preserve the Giants' bullpen for the second game. He also had a hit and an RBI.''It's not that easy, but I do everything I can to save some bullpen for the next game,'' Sandoval said. ''We lost the game, but we had a little fun at the end of the game.'' It was the only inning where the Dodgers were retired in order. They set a season high with 20 hits.''Sometimes it's amazing how certain people can make the game look so easy,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ''It's a crazy game. I didn't think he was going to go out there. Pablo seemed to be the right choice.'' Chase Utley hit three doubles and a single to lead Los Angeles.Chris Taylor, who homered, and Utley each scored four times. Joc Pederson had four hits and drove in four runs, and Cody Bellinger had three hits and three RBIs as Los Angeles ended a three-game losing streak.The Dodgers, however, lost right fielder Yasiel Puig to a sore left hip after he ran into a wall.Puig made a running one-handed catch and ran into a padded wall in the right corner of AT&T Park while chasing down Nick Hundley's deep foul to end the first. Roberts and team trainers rushed out and ran out Puig dropped to the ground before getting to one knee.Puig remained on one knee for several moments, then got to his feet and walked slowly into the dugout. He came out to bat in the second inning, fouled a ball of his foot, then flied out. He was removed in between innings.Roberts said Puig's foot is more of a concern than the hip injury.''It hurts a little bit. But hopefully, God willing, I can get better with treatment,'' Puig said through a translator.Walker Buehler (1-0) allowed two runs and struck out six over five innings. The right-hander was recalled from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga before the game and added to the roster as the 26th man.Nick Hundley and Alen Hanson homered for the Giants. Chris Stratton (2-2) returned from the paternity list and gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings.It is the first doubleheader between the two teams since Sept. 27, 2003. It was necessary after a rainout at AT&T Park on April 6.ROSTER SHUFFLEAfter the game, the Giants optioned RHP Robert Gomez to Triple-A Sacramento and called up LHP DJ Snelten.TRAINER'S ROOMDodgers: OF Matt Kemp did not start after leaving Friday's game with tightness in his left quad. He singled and scored as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.Giants: 2B Joe Panik was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb. ... OF Mac Williamson was put on the seven-day concussion list. ... Reliever Mark Melancon was transferred to the 60-day DL and RHP Derek Law was appointed as the 26th man for the doubleheader. ... OF Austin Slater was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.UP NEXTLos Angeles LHP Alex Wood (0-2, 3.72 ERA) pitches against San Francisco RHP Johnny Cueto (2-0, 0.35) in the second game.

Time: 3:00 PM EDT Venue: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL, 33602 / TAMPA, Fla. -- There's a recent familiarity between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, who meet in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs after playing each other twice in the final 12 games of the regular season." It's like starting over again," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of the series that begins Saturday at Amalie Arena. "There's a little bit of the unknown. You have to develop a little of that hatred, or passion, whatever the word is against a similar opponent every night. I assume that will happen fast." The Lightning won the division title and have the top seed in the Eastern Conference after edging the Bruins by a point in the standings. The pivotal game was the fourth and final meeting, when the Lightning posted a key 4-0 victory in Tampa. The matchup initially is about rust vs. rest -- the Lightning got a full week off after eliminating the New Jersey Devils in five games, allowing them time off while the Bruins needed a full seven games to advance past the Toronto Maple Leafs." I think the guys are excited," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "You always say you want time off, and we've had six days. The guys want to get back into it. There's a lot of 'Let's get this going.'"Boston won the first three meetings in the regular season by a combined score of 10-4, so the Bruins can have confidence going into the matchup, regardless of seeding and home-ice advantage. The Bruins are a well-rounded playoff team, ranking in the NHL's top six in scoring, goals allowed, power play and penalty kill. The Lightning are a tiny bit better in scoring, leading the league with 3.5 goals per game, and barely better on the power play, converting 23.9 percent of their opportunities. Tampa Bay's special teams were a strength in the series against New Jersey -- their penalty kill, once a liability, killed off 16 of 19 Devils power plays, and the Lightning went 5 of 9 on power plays in the first three games before an 0-of-10 drought in the final two, both Tampa Bay wins. Nikita Kucherov set a Lightning record for points in a playoff series with five goals and five assists, but Boston's David Pastrnak can trump that, getting five goals and eight assists in his series against Toronto. Steven Stamkos, quiet overall in scoring in the last series, was a team-best plus-4 when on the ice just the same. Tampa Bay finished the regular season with momentum coming off the 4-0 win over Boston, which carried into the New Jersey series." In the end, our team had to pick up our play," Cooper said. "I don't know that we were at the same intensity level." Game 1 and 2 are Saturday and Monday in Tampa, with the next two games in Boston, before alternating the final three games if necessary.

/ TAMPA, Fla. Rick Nash and Boston's high-scoring line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are off to a flying start in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nash had two goals and Bergeron, Pastrnak and Marchand combined for 10 points Saturday, helping the Bruins pull away for a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. Bergeron also scored twice, Marchand had a goal and two assists, and Pastrnak finished with four assists in a dominating performance. Tuukka Rask stopped 34 shots for the Bruins, who finished one point behind Tampa Bay for the Atlantic Division title, as well as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Dan Girardi and Mikhail Sergachev scored for the Lightning, who trailed 3-2 entering the third period. Marchand and Bergeron hiked Boston's advantage to three goals before Jake DeBrusk added an empty-netter with 6:19 remaining. The Bruins had just 10 shots against Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy over the last two periods, but made the most of the limited opportunities. Game 2 is Monday night at Amalie Arena. Rask won three of four starts against the Lightning during the regular season, with Tampa Bay's lone victory coming in the final meeting. Pastrnak assisted on each of Boston's first three goals and added another on Bergeron's third-period goal, giving him 12 helpers in eight playoff games. Nash, meanwhile, got his second and third goals of the postseason, scoring on the power play at 17:11 of the opening period and 12:33 of the second to put the Bruins up 3-1. Sergachev countered on the power play, trimming Tampa Bay's deficit to 3-2. NOTES: The Lightning outshot the Bruins 36-24. ... Vasilevskiy stopped 18 shots. ... Rask lost the blade on his left skate and was trying to get the attention of the officials just before Sergachev's goal. Play was not stopped because losing a blade is not considered a safety issue. ... The Bruins and Lightning are meeting in the playoffs for only the second time. The teams also met in the 2011 Eastern Conference Final, won by Boston in seven games. Six current Bruins - Bergeron, Marchand, Rask, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci and Adam McQuaid were part of that team, which went on win the Stanley Cup.---More hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Time: 8:00 PM EDT Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV, 89119 / LAS VEGAS -- After suffering the worst playoff loss in team history on Thursday night, a 7-0 shellacking by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals, the San Jose Sharks awoke to find that the sun did indeed come up in the morning. Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said he was anxious to see how his team, which swept Anaheim in the first round, will bounce back in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena." It's the first adversity we've faced in the playoffs, real adversity," DeBoer said. "It's on us to respond now. ... We've got a lot of character, a lot of pride in there. This series is a long way from over." Pretty optimistic words for a coach facing a Vegas team that is 5-0 in the playoffs, 32-10-2 at home this season, and has the hottest goalie on the planet. Marc-Andre Fleury goes into Saturday night's game with back-to-back shutouts and an eye-popping .982 save percentage in the playoffs. The Golden Knights scored four goals in the first 12 minutes Thursday night, matching the total number of goals that San Jose and goalie Martin Jones allowed in the entire series against Anaheim. Vegas had seven different goal scorers and 11 players who ended up on the scoresheet, led by center Jonathan Marchessault (one goal, two assists). William Karlsson and Reilly Smith each chipped in with three assists." We had a laundry list of issues," DeBoer, who guided the Sharks to the Stanley Cup finals in 2016, said. "We weren't good. They beat us. ... (But) you don't get extra points for winning by a touchdown like they did." A win on Saturday and San Jose still goes home with a split and home-ice advantage. However, that possibility became a whole lot tougher for the Sharks on late Friday afternoon. The NHL's Department of Player Safety suspended left winger Evander Kane for one game for a cross-check to the face of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare during a third-period scrum that resulted in Kane receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Kane had 14 points in 17 regular-season games after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 26. He had three goals and an assist in San Jose's four-game sweep of Anaheim in the first round." It's difficult, but it's not," DeBoer told the San Jose Mercury News on Friday before the suspension was announced. "It's like an injury. If he's out, it's next man up and we'll stick somebody else in there. It doesn't change our preparation." Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said his team must guard against overconfidence after the lopsided win in the opener and continue its one-game-at-a-time approach that has proved to be so successful during their storybook first season." We just have to be ready to play the next game," Gallant said. "We know San Jose is a good hockey club and that (7-0) is not going to happen again." They're a great hockey team and we got some early goals on them and took advantage of that. They'll be a lot better and hopefully we'll be better, too."

/ LAS VEGAS Logan Couture's second goal of the game, on the power play at 5:13 of the second overtime, lifted the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night, tying their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece. Moments after Vegas' Jon Merrill was called for hooking, Couture found the back of the net, as the Sharks stole home-ice advantage from Vegas. The Golden Knights, who lost for the first time in six playoff games, thought they won in the first overtime when Jonathan Marchessault's backhand sailed past Jones with 3:02 left, but officials ruled there was goaltender interference when Marchessault ran into Jones' blocker and spun him around before his shot. Brent Burns also scored two goals and Martin Jones stopped 26 shots for San Jose, which was playing without suspended forward Evander Kane. William Karlsson scored twice, while Nate Schmidt got his first of the postseason to tie the score at 3-3 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third period. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 43 saves. Game 3 is Monday night at San Jose. It was the second straight series the Golden Knights went into double overtime in Game 2, with their opponent missing a key player due to suspension. Los Angeles was missing Drew Doughty in the opening round. Unlike the first game of this series, which saw the Golden Knights become the third NHL franchise to score at least seven goals in a playoff game during its inaugural season, Game 2 was much more physical, something that seemingly took Vegas out of its rhythm in the second period. In Game 1, Vegas blocked 26 shots, to the Sharks' 13, but San Jose held a 36-26 edge in Game 2. And after being whistled for 10 penalties in first series-opener, as opposed to Vegas' five, the Golden Knights found themselves in the box more than San Jose, 11-6. The Golden Knights got on the board late in the first period after Colin Miller's slap shot from the point sailed wide of the net, off the end boards and right to Karlsson, who found the back of the net from a tight angle. Karlsson notched his second goal when he took advantage of a turnover forced by Reilly Smith, overlooked passing it back to Smith, skated in and beat Martin Jones from the circle to put Vegas up 2-0 just 26 seconds into the second period. Burns brought an end to the Sharks' 82-minute scoring drought when he picked up the puck off the draw and blasted a slap shot from the point to cut Vegas' lead in half. Couture tied the game at 2 with a goal that conceivably could have been avoided. After blocking a shot by Dylan Demelo, Fleury pushed the puck to Deryk Engelland behind the net, rather than covering it up. Tomas Hertl got ahold of it and fed Couture, who one-timed in with just under nine minutes left in the second. Three minutes later, Burns gave San Jose a 3-2 lead after he snagged the puck off a faceoff, circled the back of the net and tucked it in on a wraparound. Schmidt tied the game when he took a pass from Shea Theodore and one-timed it from the blue line in the third. NOTES: Burns' second-period goal ended Fleury's scoreless streak of 143:51, dating back to Game 3 of the opening round versus Los Angeles. ... Vegas surpassed its season-high 13 penalties in minutes with 22 PIM. ... The 18,671 in attendance was a new team record at T Mobile Arena. ... Kane was suspended Friday because of a cross-check to the head of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in Game 1.